Individuals may become drowsy while driving or operating a machine because of monotonous driving conditions, lack of sleep, or due to a medical condition. When individuals drive or operate machinery while drowsy, accidents are prone to happen. Other accidents may also occur when an individual becomes distracted while driving or operating machinery. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for monitoring the alertness of an individual, especially when the individual is driving or operating machinery. Various embodiments of the present systems and methods recognize and address the foregoing considerations, and others, of prior art systems and methods.